Reuters Health News Summary

09/09/2016 0:59

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Biden asks U.S. Congress to allow unencumbered Zika funding vote

Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday called on the Republican-led U.S. Congress to allow an up-or-down vote on funding to combat the Zika virus without other provisions attached, calling the health threat posed by the pathogen a national emergency. Congress has failed to approve any funding to fight the mosquito-borne virus since President Barack Obama asked for $1.9 billion in February.

Doctors say Haiti ripe for large Zika outbreak, virus under: reported

Posters warning of the dangers of Zika only reached Haiti's health ministry in August, six months after the country reported an outbreak, in one example of delayed prevention efforts that have health experts worried a "large epidemic" is looming. Gabriel Thimothe, a senior health ministry official, said the public service posters would be distributed to hospitals and airports shortly, but that health funding had been cut this year and foreign aid was sparse to fight the mosquito-borne virus that can cause severe birth defects.

Mistrust of vaccines is greatest in France: survey

Public confidence in immunization varies widely across the world with the French the most skeptical about the safety of vaccines, according to a survey published on Friday. With outbreaks of measles, whooping cough and other infectious diseases occurring in recent years in places where the take-up of vaccinations has been low, the scientists behind the survey said its insights could help policymakers tackle such problems.

New York to allow late-term abortions for health at-risk women

New York will allow late-term abortions for women whose pregnancies endanger their health, a move that brings the state into federal compliance and ends decades of confusion faced by patients and providers of the procedure, state officials said. State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued an opinion publicly on Thursday to clarify that New Yorkers have all the protections afforded to women in the United States under the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade and are not beholden to the state's more-restrictive abortion law.

Statins' benefits understated and harms exaggerated, scientists warn

The benefits of statins - cholesterol-busting drugs that can dramatically reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes - have been underestimated and their harms exaggerated, scientists said on Thursday in a major review of research. In an effort to counter what they said were misleading reports of high levels of side effects, the scientists said in the Lancet medical journal there was a "serious cost to public health" in such claims, which can dissuade people from taking beneficial medicines.

Regular exercise tied to lower health costs with heart disease

Need another reason to exercise? A new study suggests that routine workouts are associated with significantly lower health costs for heart disease patients. Patients with heart disease who did moderate to vigorous physical activity for 30 minutes at least five times a week saved an average of more than $2,500 (about 2222 euros) in annual healthcare costs, the study found.

Pfizer CEO says Clinton plan to curb drug prices would hurt consumers

Pfizer Inc's chief executive on Thursday said recent proposals by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to curb "unjustified" U.S. drug prices would dampen investment in innovative new drugs and ultimately hurt consumers. "(They) would be very negative for innovation," Ian Read said in webcast from the annual Wells Fargo healthcare conference in Boston. He said Clinton's proposals, if ever approved, would be a step toward a one-payer government system of price controls on prescription medicines.

U.S. health regulator plans 'thorough' probe of St. Jude case

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans a "thorough investigation" of allegations about vulnerabilities in cardiac devices made by St. Jude Medical Inc, the agency's official responsible for cyber security said on Thursday. The FDA began its investigation in late August after short-selling firm Muddy Waters and cyber security firm MedSec Holdings Inc said they were betting St. Jude shares would fall, making allegations that its pacemakers and defibrillators have cyber security flaws that hackers could exploit to harm patients.

When an airport scanner sees a cyst as a security threat

A traveler with a bulge in their body from a cyst or hernia might get flagged for an invasive airport security screening to look for explosives, a case report suggests. In many larger airports, X-rays have been replaced in recent years by machines that use radio frequencies to detect suspicious items on travelers, researchers note in JAMA Dermatology.

Disability rights groups seek intervention on Wisconsin teen's plans to die

Disability rights groups said on Thursday they have asked child protective services to intervene in the case of a severely disabled Wisconsin teenager who suffers chronic pain from her disease and wants to die. Jerika Bolen, 14, who suffers from Type 2 Spinal Muscular Atrophy, garnered widespread attention earlier this year by speaking openly about plans to end her life. Her final wish of a prom dance drew hundreds in her hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin.

09/09/2016 0:59